Stories: Nagorno Karabaj - A dream between forgotten mountains

Two young militants of the ARF taking part in the concert offered by the political group in the closing ceremony of the sixth parliamentary elections in the main square of the city, with the government headquarters behind. Stepanakert - 01/05/2015.

Flags of the most ancient political party of Nagorno-Karabaj, ARF (Dashnaktsutyun in Armenian) flying in the last act of campaign, before the sixth parliamentary elections of the country takes place on May 2015. Stepanakert - 01/05/2015.

A group of young military
cadets dancing folk dances
the day before of the parliamentary
elections. Stepanakert -
02/05/2015.

Schools gathering in
the Renaissance Square (before
called Lenin Square) in a school
day to dance popular songs. Stepanakert
– 02/05/2015.

The church of Shushi
is a symbol for people of Nagorno-
Karabaj. During the war, the
Azeris stored all their military holdings
in the church because they
knew that doing so, Armenians
would not destroy it. Once the city
was taken, the Armenian Army
found the church and the military
holdings, which let them defeat the
enemy and conquer the most strategic
city of the country. Shushi -
03/05/2015.

A citizen from Shushi praying in the church. People of Armenia are mostly Christians. Shushi – 03/05/2015

Valeri Mnatsakanyan, 22 years old,
holds his partner in his arms during
a dance rehearsal in the dance
school Charles Aznavour, where
they prepare a show for the 9th of
May, the commemoration of Victory
Day. Stepanakert – 02/05/2015.

Anush Atamalyan,
22 years old (wearing a magenta
dress) dances folk in the closing
ceremony of the ARF with
two colleagues, Susanna
Movsis yan (left) and Arevik
Sargsyan (right) while the rest
walk with them waving national
flags. Stepanakert - 01/05/2015

One of the students
of the Dance School
Charles Aznavour prepares,
with his colleagues, the show
for the 9th of May, the commemoration
of Victory Day.
01/05/2015.

The entrance hall of a
public high school in Shushi
chaired by the flags and images
of presidents and religious authorities
of Armenia and Nagorno-
Karabaj. This is an evidence
of the strong link between both
nations, easy to find all along the
country, to the extent that it is
sometimes difficult to determine
if Nagorno-Karabaj is part of Arminia
or two different countries.
Shushi – 03/05/2015

Young people singing
Armenian songs narrating
the past glories of a non-existent
country. Stepanakert –
01/05/2015

Two citizens of Stepanakert
voting in the same electoral
college as the President, Bako Sahakyan,
who would vote some minutes
after. Stepanakert – 03/05/2015.

Small tribute in a
school to fallen citizens who studied
at this school. Drmbon – 03/05/2015.

A man putting his
head in the door in the north-
eastern part of the country,
at 20 km from the frontline with
Azerbaijan, while the counting
of ballots take place. Drmbon –
03/05/2015.

Portrait of a volunteer
in the only Electoral College
of Shushi. Shushi –
03/05/2015.

Nagorno-Karabaj is a country economically
based, mainly, on agriculture
and animal husbandry. Only a few kilometres
far from the capital, large
areas of green meadows and white
mountains are found. The white summits
at barely 30 kilometres are alre
ady Azeri territory. Drmbon –
03/05/2015.

Hasmik Mkhitaryan, 52
years old, natural from Yerevan,
Armenia, is the technical manager
at the national factory of carpets
which was re-opened two years
ago in the attempt to recover a
thousand-year tradition which
was lost during the war. She
states that she will stay in Stepanakert
while people need her: ‘It is
my duty as Armenian’. Stepanakert
– 02/05/2015

Portrait of a carpet
weaver and his colleague, Stepanakert
– 02/05/2015.

David Grigoryan, European
champion of Sanda-Wushu in
2010 and vice-world champion in
2011 trains new generations in Artsakh
(Armenian name for Nagorno-
Karabaj). Stepanakert –
02/05/2015.

Vargdes Manasyan, 23
years old, won the world championship
of Sanda-Wushu in 2014.
Armenians define themselves as
the strongest in individual sports
due to their eagerness to victory in
battles. Stepanakert – 02/05/2015.

Grandma and Grandpa are a national monument. According to Armenians, this monument made of tufa, built in 1967 by Sargis Baghdasaryan, represents the people of Nagorno-Karabaj. It stands on the top of a mountain and is set up from the ground, as the mountains and the Armenians do. Stepanakert –
02/05/2015.

Two men play backgammon
while a third person observes the
scene in a social center located at
the capital of the country. Board
games such as chess or backgammon
are very popular among the population
of Nagorno-Karabaj. Stepa
nakert – 01/05/2015.

Arser Grigoryan, known as Mro, singing “Artsakh”, a folk song about the history of Nagorno Karabaj, which drives the public crazy. Stepanakert –
01/05/2015.

A group of children observing a football match after school between Shushi and Martuni in a day of intense fog. A new generation who, despite
of their cloudy future, remains vigilant to their oscillating destiny, ignoring who will be the winner of
the fight. Shushi –
04/05/2015.